Anne Braden: Southern Patriot Introduction (02:23)

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Anne Braden was a Southern white woman born in the Jim Crow era, but she did not accept the life path laid out for her.

Little Religious Girl (02:05)

Braden grew up privileged in Alabama. She went to college during World War II and began to connect the war against Nazi racial superiority with segregation.

Newspaper Reporter (01:43)

Braden became a reporter in Birmingham, where she covered many stories that dealt with racial injustice. She realized she was treating black people as less valuable.

Just Plain Wrong (02:07)

Braden left Birmingham for Kentucky; she had to break out of her classist and racist assumptions.

Carl Braden (02:35)

Anne married Carl Braden; she combined marriage, motherhood, and activism. She protested the execution of Willie McGee and encountered police hostility for the first time.

Other America (02:55)

Braden's writings encouraged race consciousness among white women. William Patterson told her she could join the other America, the people who worked to help overcome injustice. (Graphic images)

Charlotte and Andrew Wade (02:54)

In 1954, the Bradens helped the Wades buy a house in a white suburb; a cross was burned in the Wade's front yard. The Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education.

Wade Defense Committee (02:34)

Supporters formed the Wade Defense Committee. A bomb destroyed the Wades' home. Seven members were charged with sedition for trying to stir up trouble between the races.

Charges and Conviction (02:13)

The Bradens were indicted for bombing the Wade home. Carl Braden was found guilty of sedition due to anti-Communist and anti-black hysteria.

Radicals (01:55)

Braden believed the McCarthy era silenced activism. The Supreme Court threw out Carl Braden's sedition conviction. The Bradens used their persecution as a lead into activism.

Southern Patriot (02:18)

The Bradens worked for the Southern Conference Education Fund. The head of SCEF refused to blackball people for Communist affiliation.

SCEF Leader Ed Shuttlesworth (02:00)

Shuttlesworth's home and church were bombed several times. In 1959, Carl Braden refused to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee. In 1961, he went to prison.

Before Carl Braden's Imprisonment (03:35)

See footage of Braden spending time with his family and holding a press conference. Anne Braden says freedom of speech is about hearing and weighing different ideas.

Civil Liberties (02:15)

Bob Zellner describes meeting Anne Braden; she taught him that he could be against red-baiting and segregation, and still be a good Southern person. (Graphic language)

Anita Braden (01:12)

Anne and Carl Braden's daughter Anita died of a rare heart and lung disorder when she was 11.

Selma to Montgomery March (02:21)

The Alabama Sovereignty Commission implied that the Braden's were the Communists behind the Selma to Montgomery March and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. (Graphic images)

Challenging Oppression (04:22)

Anne Braden said people have to put their lives and bodies on the line to make it better. The Civil Rights Movement challenged the structures of oppression. (Graphic images)

Martin Luther King (02:01)

Anne Braden bemoans the dreamy martyr image of Martin Luther King; he wasn't a dreamer, he was a revolutionary.

Left vs. Moderate (03:29)

Civil Rights leaders were under pressure to distance themselves from the far left. Anne Braden did not try to lead black people, but to bring white people into the fight.

Alliance with Poor Whites (02:44)

SCEF workers went into coal-mining areas in the Kentucky Mountains to build relationships with poor whites; they were charged with sedition.

Poor Peoples Campaign (02:25)

The Kentucky sedition law was declared invalid, but the organizers were isolated and attacked.

Part of Something Larger (02:06)

In the 1970s, the progressive movement was divided. Activists were arrested and assassinated.

Life After Carl (02:34)

Carl Braden died in 1975, but Anne Braden kept fighting. She helped organize a multi-racial organization to support busing and Louisville school integration.

Reverse Discrimination (02:39)

The KKK reorganized under the idea that black people were taking everything away from white people; the Justice Department followed the same lines. (Graphic language)

Greensboro (03:39)

Five members of the Communist Workers Party were murdered at an anti-KKK rally. Braden used the tragedy as a jumping-off point for action. (Graphic images)

Way of Life (02:10)

For Anne Braden, social action was a way of life. Her friendships and thoughts revolved around the movements she embraced.

Fairness Campaign (03:07)

Braden reacted to homophobia just as she did to anti-Communism; she brought all kinds of social movements together.

Tribute to Anne Braden (02:55)

People don't work for change because they feel guilty. They do it because they can see a different world.

Fighting for Equality (02:12)

Though the fight goes on, it has already been won. We just have to get there to see it.

Anne Braden: Southern Patriot End Credits (02:55)

End Credits for Anne Braden: Southern Patriot